Depends on budget but if you have the kit described, get something decent to keep it off the ground. I bought a Benro Travel Angel last year and have been pleased with it. It's not in the price range of Gitzos etc and may not pass for 'professional', but it packs very small and has held up very well in my Africa travels. I bought the CF model and it costs somewhere around $450 or so. I used the head that came with it.

I had a Manfrotto 055xprob. Good, but heavy.Then I gave the Sirui M 3204 a look and like it.Same height, much lighter cause made of carbon, small folded together.I'm 6'4 and dont have to bend down, the center column only a few cm out.Good luck for your search!

Obviously, we are all biased based on our experiences. Since I don't use a tripod a whole lot, I got the Redged carbon fiber with the head. The combo is generally under $200 on the Adorama site. Seems to be more than adequate for my needs and it is light and folds fairly small. I'd think that this would work for the camera/lens combo you mention.

I've got the Benro C-0681, which folds up to a bit shorter than most tripods to fit in a carry-on, comes with a ballhead, and one of the legs can be detached to use as a tripod. Pretty light too, and comes with a decent carrying case.

I'm currently travelling the world and have been using a gorillapod focus as my tripod. I've been more than pleasantly surprised, even with the 5D3 and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. Tack sharp 30sec exposures.

I've coupled it with a Really Right Stuff BH-30 ballhead which is superb. Could be overkill but at least I'll have something that will last.

Not sure if it will give you the height you need but it will certainly handle the weight (at the right price too)

Get yourself a bean bag. Even a plastic bag with some sand will do nicely. Can't beat that for portability

For when I need height, precise angling, pano movement or other things a bean bag doesn't do, I got a Sirui N-series tripod with G-series ballhead. About 250 bucks in total and it works a charm. Folds pretty small, is sturdy, relatively light and stable (even if not carbon but the cheaper aluminium) and the QR plates have a nice safety pin to boot. Have little experience with alternatives, but I'd recommend it for travelling light.

Consider a monopod. They usually ban tripods in crowded places, and you run the risk of having a crowd knock your rig over.

For fireworks? He's going to be keeping the shutter open for 3-10 seconds. A monopod won't cut it.

I travel with my Gitzo GT1541T carbon fiber travel tripod and RRS BH-30 ballhead. That setup is expensive, but you get the idea. For fireworks, you can get by with an inexpensive tripod, a wide angle lens, and, most importantly, a remote shutter release.